Why Is 2-Factor Authentication Important?

a woman using a laptop on a white table
2-Factor Authentication

Hacking is becoming more common as major websites have had data leaks containing emails, passwords, and other sensitive information. This kind of hacking has made international headlines and brought the issue of cybersecurity and internet safety to the forefront. Any computer that gets infected and that contains your personal information can make the victim of identity theft. The most serious cases of hacking will include hackers getting far more than just your email and password. Oftentimes, such information and data security breaches will include hackers getting access to even more of your sensitive information such as your credit card or bank account numbers or even your address, phone number, and social security number.

Many people use passwords to keep the bad guys out of their information and out of their accounts, however, sadly, in 2018, that’s not always enough of a protective barrier to keep your sensitive information safe. Today’s most sophisticated hackers have learned how to use methods like phishing and pharming to test billions of password combinations till they find yours. Once they do that, all of the sensitive information contained inside is theirs for the taking!

Many internet users are even easier targets as they likely use the same password for multiple accounts on multiple websites because it makes their information easier to remember. If you do that, once a hacker gets access to one site, they have access to all of the sites with the same username and password combination, which can compromise more of your personal information that would otherwise be compromised if you used different combinations for each site.  

To combat this increasing issue of hackers getting into people’s information, many websites are taking to using what is called “2-factor authentication” which is essentially a system that double-checks a person’s identity to make sure they are the person who should be accessing the account before letting them in. This 2-factor authentication can be required every time a person logs in or if they are logging in from a new device, for example.

Many websites that you already use have this 2-factor authentication option. Sites like Facebook and Gmail are great examples of sites that give users this option. Users simply have to use their settings to request 2-factor authentication as an option. One example of 2-factor authentication is entering a code that you are texted or emailed to access your account if you forget a password or want to change a password. This is confirming you are who you claim you are, so you have already engaged in a 2-factor authentication process.

This 2-factor authentication is even more crucial when protecting personal information such as your banking information or personal email where further personal information may be attainable. It’s unfortunate that we live in a world where people try to take other people’s information but it is happening more and more often these days. Protecting your information should be your number one priority and 2-factor authentication is the latest way to do just that.

For more information about 2-factor authentication and how you can protect your personal information please feel free to contact us at the AE Technology Group for further assistance.

Hosted Email Solutions Through Open Source Solutions

hosted email solutions through open source solutions

It used to be where companies, especially enterprise-level ones, would mainly use proprietary email software such as Microsoft Exchange Server.
Open Source
Such software was useful for email, yet because it was proprietary, it had limited ability in being customizable, easy to use, and affordable.

Yet in recent years, an increasing variety of email software has sprung up whereby proprietary software no longer has a grip on much of the market for email software.  Enter open source email software.

Open source email, unlike its proprietary counterpart, has increased capacity for customizing its features, operating from a user-friendly interface, and being more affordable through free or low-priced software licensing via its distributors.

All in all, open source email offers a company the opportunity to enhance its communications productivity, while doing so at a lower cost.

ZarafaOne example of open source email is Zarafa.  Zarafa stands out from proprietary and other open source email platforms in that it is the only known platform that combines open, compatible, and enterprise collaboration.

Zarafa offers quite a bit of customization based on integration with Linux operating systems (which also enhances its stability and security), a user-friendly interface akin to Microsoft Outlook, and a lower price than Microsoft Exchange Server.  And like many email platforms geared towards business, it comes with collaboration features such as a multiuser calendar and task lists.

Zarafa can provide a Web feel via web access from any mobile device and on all ActiveSync compatible mobile devices and Blackberry.  Zarafa may be offered as a a hosted email solution, instead of in-house on one’s own computer servers.

Zarafa is offered through AE Technology Group, which is a Zarafa Certified Partner.  A business can try Zarafa before buying it, as Zarafa comes in a free 25-user trial.

Check out more information regarding hosted email solutions, or contact us.

Customer Relationship Management for Small Businesses

customer relationship management for small businesses

CRM diagram

What to Look Out for When Getting Started

Using Customer Relationship Management software for a small business is an essential tool now to help bring a better sense of organization to your customer information. When using a version that uses the cloud, you can make it work like a data center to gain updated information on your customers to bring better customer service. But can CRM become too complex for some companies?

It some regards, it can be, though that all depends on what you want it to do. In a company using CRM technology for the first time, it’s much better to go simple.

Why Simpler is Better

Forbes says that a good CRM software should always be simple considering you only need a few basic elements to make it work. These elements are  essentially basic information on customers, follow-up data and figuring what kind of monetary gain could potentially be made. Anything more complicated than that isn’t really necessary and can potentially confuse employees who have no experience with this software.

You also should make sure everyone in the company uses it as a background for every lead that’s been gathered. Everyone can be on the same page this way and bring a unity to the company in knowing which customer prospects are the strongest.

Utilizing Easy Integration

When seeking out CRM software, you have to make sure it’s going to integrate with your other software. Can it easily transfer information from the CRM software to another program without causing disruptions? Hiring a consulting IT firm can be your best bet in helping you decide if CRM can easily fit in with your company’s systems and style.

Enabling CRM for Mobile

Your biggest incentive for getting CRM software is training your employees to use it on mobile devices. This also brings a simplicity in its use, even if you have to test first to make sure the software is workable this way. Many of them are mobile compatible now, and using CRM data while on the go is helping to shape businesses for the better.

Particularly because CRM is a part of cloud technology, getting real-time reports on customers can also bring an advantage when you have a sales team on the go. It’s just one way to prove how the cloud is the new backbone to evolving businesses into marketing powerhouses.

We can help you bring CRM to your own business here at AE Technology Group. With our attention to understanding a business first, we’ll analyze to make sure any IT solutions we offer are the right fit for your company.

Contact us and we’ll introduce you to iceCRM, our top cloud-based CRM software that helps you organize only the data you really need to make the best marketing decisions.

What is Open Source Software?

what is open source software

open source logo

What is Open Source?

The best way to describe open source is that it is publicly accessible software that can be modified to suit a user or users’ specific needs. This type of software celebrates products and projects that embrace open exchange of collaborative participation, rapid prototyping, and community development.

In essence, open source software offers its source code to anyone who would like to modify it. By definition “source code” is the coding programmers use to design and modify how a program operates. This code determines how a program reacts to certain commands and prompts. This code can be modified accordingly, allowing programmers to add or remove portions of code that aren’t allowing a program to operate up to snuff or to improve program feature accessibility and runability.

Here are some advantages to implementing open source software:

Quality and Control: You can implement a generic program that has been developed by a thousand programmers, or you can choose the open source way. In open source program development a handful of developers work in collaboration with your firm to create a personalized system which suits your needs.

Freedom to Customize: Get creative. You can tweak and change your open source software whenever the need arises. Since the code is open, it can be modified however you choose. You are also free of vendor lock-in which determines price, timetables, usage, maneuverability, and priority of the software.

Flexibility: Unlike traditional generic OS like Windows, you do not have to constantly update your open source hardware so it operates properly. Microsoft keeps your organization on a treadmill of endless hardware and software upgrades. Since open source software is less intensive than big Ops like Windows, you will be able to run it more easily and for a longer period of time on your current hardware system.

Increased Security: In comparison to proprietary software, open source is inherently more secure. Since generic code is easier for hackers to access, data breach is a constant threat. Since open source software is personalized by your organization, the opportunity for cyber threat decreases. Open source software code is closed to public view; therefore its vulnerabilities are illusive to potential threat.

For more information on how your company can benefit from open source software, contact the experts atAE Technology Group. Their group of professional IT staff can help your company integrate and maintain open source technology within your firm. Tap into your organization’s full IT potential, call AE Tech Group today.

CRM Customer Relationship Management Benefits

crm customer relationship management benefits

Business is all about customers, and not only developing but also maintaining a rapport with them. As such, a customer relationship management software developer is vital for any organization. There are major benefits that accrue from an effective CRM among them reduced costs and high customer retention, all which lead to an increase in returns.

With CRM software, information technology consultancy is basic. Many firms are struggling to get the right IT consultants to better their CRM and gain a competitive edge in the market. This is to ensure that a firm is using the right software and in the right manner. IT consultants are the people to turn to when systems crash. They evaluate the cause of failure and address it accordingly. This ensures continuity in businesses.

Hiring a CRM software developer saves businesses from closure resulting from data loss. These firms have disaster recovery strategies through which their clients can get all the data they had in their systems prior to the occurrence of a peril. They have data centers that provide a backup of vital company details, including list and contact information of prospects and current customers, suppliers and investors.

As Wiki has it, “the cloud is transforming IT infrastructure…” This new networking paradigm allows businesses to filter any content that is available for its web visitors. Partnering with a competent cloud hosting service provider ensures that an organization will get a cloud cluster, something that is vital when it comes to scaling and reconfiguring in order to address its project needs. With cloud networking, organizations are assured of connectivity to the Internet over any physical infrastructure, and this gives them unlimited access to their database.

Another service that CRM software developers provide is IT support. This is more or less like IT consultancy, and it also works towards ensuring that a firm’s IT systems run effectively. With this service they can install, move or even change any IT machinery in an organization. The highly trained and experienced engineers also provide anti-virus software to guarantee safety of systems. Information technology support ensures optimization of not only software but also hardware performance.

The above are just part of the list services that a customer relation software developer can offer you as a business. By the end of it all, the aim is to make the most out of CRM and achieve set objectives.

Contact us for more about the services we have in store for you.